Dressing applicator for bowling lane gutters



Oct. 29, 1963 v. UNTERBRINK ETAL 3,108,303

DRESSING APPLICATOR FOR BOWLING LANE cu'rmas' INVENTOR. VICTOR UNTERBRINK LARRY UNTERBRINK Filed July 5, 1962 United States Patent 3,108,383 DREESENG APPLICATGR FQR BGWLING LANE GUTTERS Victor Unterbrink and Larry Unterbrinir, ()ttawa, {)hio,

assignors to Pines Engineering Co. Inc, Aurora, Ill.,

a corporation of lliinois Filed July 5, 1962, Ser. No. ZtWflll 2 Claims. ({1 15-118) The present invention relates to improvements in applicators for applying a dressing to the gutters on each side of a bowling lane and is more particularly concerned with the novel construction and assembly of such a device.

The gutters or channels on each side of a bowling lane are dii'iicult to clean and dress primarily because of the fact that they are semi-circular in section. Heretofore, cleaning of and the application of a dressing to said gutters has been effected by spraying a liquid dressing thereon but this mode of application has proven to be very unsatisfactory primarly because of the danger of fire or explosion in instances when a llaquer or enamel is applied. Also, in spray application, much of the material is deposited on the lane and on adjacent areas requiring additional labor to remove. More recently, a soft pad shaped to conform generally to the curvature of the gutter has been employed. In the use of such an applicator a quantity of the liquid dressing is deposited in the gutter in advance of the pad and is subsequently spread along the gutter surface upon advancing the pad longitudinally therealong. However, it has been established that very little if any of the dressing is distributed onto the upper side areas of the gutter without special attention being given to such distribution. This occurs primarily because the dressing adheres to the soft pad and fails to spread laterally upwardly onto the gutter side walls, the dressing for the most part remaining in the bottom of the gutter. To avoid this, it became necessary to manually shift or rock the applicator through an arc so as to carry the medial area upon which the dressing has accumulated into physical contact with the gutter side walls.

The present invention is concerned with novel means and devices for insuring that a quantity of dressing deposited in the gutter in advanceof an applicator will be spread upwardly onto the side wall areas thereof without requiring any special handling or manipulation of the applicator. As a consequence, applicants can effectively and uniformly spread a mass of liquid dressing over the entire surface of the gutter while making but one sweep along its length. This is best accomplished by providing the applicator with novel spreader means arranged on the leading face thereof and disposed to initially encounter the mass of liquid dressing and spread it evenly over the wall surface of the gutter immediately in advance of the applier pad so that it will be evenly and uniformly applied. It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide such a device.

Another object of the invention is provided a dressing applicator of the character referred to with novel means, integral therewith, for conveying a liquid dressing onto all of the wall surface of a bowling lane gutter.

Another object is to provide a dressing applicator of the character referred to which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and positive and efficient in use.

The structure by means of which the above noted and other advantages and objects of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing preferred illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a bowling lane and gutter, showing the applicator of the present invention in use;

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FIG. 2 is an enlarged front elevational view of the applicator, showing the gutter in section;

FIG. 3 is a vetrical sectional view of the applicator, taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.; and,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3, showing a modified structure.

Referring to the exemplary disclosures in the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals identify corresponding parts, the dressing applicator generally includes a block or head 11 having a handle 12 attached to its upper end to facilitate pushing of the applicator in the direction of arrow 13 along the length of a gutter 14 provided on the side of a bowling lane 15. The block is generally semi-circular in shape so as to conform to the transverse contour of the gutter. Its curved edge is embedded in a soft pad 16 comprised of any suitable soft fabric or like material such as turkish toweling or lambs wool.

Mounted on the front or leading face of head 11 and arranged to extend forwardly downwardly over the front side of pad 16 is a spreader 17. The spreader preferably comprises a length of suitable shape-retaining resiliently flexible non-absorbent material such as plastic or rubber tubing. The spreader assumes the general contour of the gutter and is in substantial contact therewith. 'It has its free upper ends 17a turned inwardly and secured, as at 18, to the top edge of the block and in a manner to hold the spreader in an inclined position, as shown.

In use, a quantity of liquid dressing 19 (FIG. 2) is deposited in gutter 14 in front of spreader 17. The device then is pushed along the gutter to distribute the dressing over the entire gutter length. Owing to the smooth nonabsorbent character of the tubing and its inclination, it functions in the manner of a plow to spread the dressing evenly over the bottom and upwardly over the side walls of the gutter. The layer of dressing is then uniformly distributed and applied to the gutter surface by the pad so as to coat same.

In the FIG. 4 disclosure, a flat strip 21. of non-absorbent shape-retaining pliable material, such as plastic or rubber, is mounted on the header 11 for effecting even spreading of the dressing prior to its being applied to the surface by pad 16.

While we have shown certain preferred embodiments of our invention and described them more or less precisely as to details, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereby, as changes may be made in the arrangement and proportion of parts, and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A bowling alley gutter dressing applicator comprising a head having an upper end and a rounded lower face conforming substantially to the curvature of the bowling alley gutter, said head having a forward vertical face, a soft pad overlying the rounded lower face of said head for engagement with the gutter, and a substantially U-shaped spreader secured at its ends to the upper end of said head and extending downwardly and forwardly away from said forward vertical face and conforming substantiaily to the curvature of the bowling alley gutter.

2. A bowling alley gutter dressing applicator comprising a head having an upper end and a rounded lower face conforming substantially to the curvature of the bowling alley gutter, said head having a forward vertical face, a soft pad overlying the rounded lower face of said head for engagement with the gutter, and a strip of shaperetaining resiliently flexible material formed substantially U-shaped and secured at its ends to the upper end of said head, said U-shaped strip extending downwardly from the upper end of the head and forwardly from said forward vertical face so as to engage the gutter and spread dressing over the entire surface thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Whittlesey Nov. 4, 1890 Bagger Dec. 8, 1891 

1. A BOWLING ALLEY GUTTER DRESSING APPLICATOR COMPRISING A HEAD HAVING AN UPPER END AND A ROUNDED LOWER FACE CONFORMING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE CURVATURE OF THE BOWLING ALLEY GUTTER, SAID HEAD HAVING A FORWARD VERTICAL FACE, A SOFT PAD OVERLYING THE ROUNDED LOWER FACE OF SAID HEAD FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE GUTTER, AND A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED SPREADER SECURED AT ITS ENDS TO THE UPPER END OF SAID HEAD EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID FORWARD VERTICAL FACE AND CONFORMING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE CURVATURE OF THE BOWLING ALLEY GUTTER. 